Powerful, refined and packs smooth engine
When you hold the key to an Infiniti Q50, you’re holding the key to something that’s not only gorgeous but something that promises advanced technology and high levels of performance.
It is, however, important to know that the car is only its best when things line up just right, which doesn’t happen often enough.
That’s the lesson learned after driving the mildly refreshed 2018 Infiniti Q50S Red Sport 400 around Nashville and the surrounding area. The Japanese sport sedan gets a completely restructured trim lineup this year that still tops out with the Red Sport 400 model that we tested. If you don’t want a car with all the brute force of that top-end version, you can opt for the Pure model, which packs a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder engine. Making just 208 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, buyers can get a bit more equipment by jumping up into the Luxe model.
But these models might be lacking a bit in the oomph department, so you can swap out the four-cylinder for a twin-turbo six-cylinder that makes 300 horsepower. A car with that kind of power needs a bit more style and presence, so buyers can opt for the Sport package, which ups the visual appeal of the vehicle.
Canadian pricing has not been announced, but in Canada, the Pure, Luxe and Sport models all come standard with all-wheel drive paired with a seven-speed transmission. Tweaked styling The 2018 Infiniti Q50 Red Sport not only packs a wonderfully powerful and smooth engine that really punches above its output ratings, but it also has a few more exterior touches like black accents on the doors and mirrors.
Our tester had the optional carbon fiber trim that covers the mirrors and places a subtle spoiler on the trunk deck lid. The vehicle also packed the stand-alone exhaust upgrade, which helps to address concerns from the original launch of the Red Sport 400, where it was noted that the vehicle doesn’t sound like the 400 hp monster it is. Additionally, 20-inch wheels are available. The tail lights as well are updated, looking more like the Q60 Coupe. Same bones and heart Under the hood, the cars are identical to last year’s model. The VR-series six-cylinder engines share some lineage with the engine found in the Nissan GT-R, and the 400-hp model has a lot of extra tweaks to make it responsive and exciting to drive.
The seven-speed transmission isn’t the most refined unit, and the pairing with the impressive engine is a bit like Oscar and Felix. While the engine is smooth, the transmission is constantly seeking the right gear to be in. This trait is much more noticeable in the Sport and Sport+ drive modes, as every graze of the right pedal is met with an anxious downshift. But then, in a moment, the cogswapper bumps back into a high gear before you’re done with it. It’s inconsistent and baffling.
Basically, it can act fun for short periods of time, but stringing together the turns in your favourite countryside route won’t be as enjoyable. Fortunately, the car packs a manual mode and decent feeling paddle shifters, which can help keep you in command of the gear changes. The exhaust upgrade is noticeable, and although there’s a bit of a drone when cruising with a light throttle application, the car sounds aggressive and sporty. Digital steering, suspension In addition to the carry-over powertrain, the Q50 still uses Direct Adaptive Steering, which is a completely digital, steer-by-wire system. The downside to this system is that it provides no feedback, but the steering ratio can be changed as you see fit. Otherwise, the ratio changes automatically to make low-speed driving easy and higher speeds precise and direct.
Handling is kind of surprising when you consider the vehicle weighs just over 1,800 kilograms and doesn’t use a physical connection between the steering wheel and front axle. The car is smooth and premium feeling. Thanks to the dynamic adaptive suspension, there’s no slop or looseness in the way the car drives. Don’t mistake this for the light and playful experience that some other sport sedans promote. Changes inside Infiniti spent some time refreshing the interior of the vehicle. The shift knob and steering wheel have been replaced with new units that we first saw in the Q60 coupe and there’s nicer stitching found on the dash. Interior accents are dark chrome and carbon fiber-themed, and the seats feature quilted leather with red stitching. The lighter leather and silver optic trim found in the Q60 wasn’t on display in the sedan.
Another loss is that the infotainment system hasn’t been refined. Infiniti uses a somewhat confusing two-screen setup and there’s no Android Auto or Apple CarPlay support.
There’s also a new upgraded sound system called Bose Performance Series, which helps to enhance the sound quality in the cabin. Overall, the cabin feels a bit dated.
Cabin noise is nice and isolated. There’s no wind noise and tire noise is kept at bay for the most part. It’s really nice how the sport sedan never feels crashy or overly stiff on the road. It’s refined.
Finally, the vehicle packs an incredible amount of safety features and driver assistance systems. They’re extremely well executed and the adaptive cruise control and lane keep functions are among the best in the industry. When a few of these systems aren’t put into the active settings, however, they can be a bit too proactive. Also, a byproduct of the dated infotainment system is that the displays are kind of small and you don’t see as many details when using the cameras. The Verdict Infiniti didn’t rewrite its sports sedan for 2018. It barely changed a thing, riding out the wave of new competition from the Germans. The Mercedes C-Class and Audi A4/S4 are both more modern than this Japanese luxury car, but the Infiniti still has them beat on power, style, and value. The sports sedan is still a powerful, refined option in the segment for those who aren’t sold on the usual German suspects.